DDK Srinagar in-house scam-V

CBI probes, bunglings go together in DDK

Attachment, transfer of guilty is the maximum punishment so far

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Oct 4: Inspite of a nexus between some officials of the two organisations of Government of India, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed challan in two FIRs against Doordarshan officials in Jammu and Kashmir. But the investigations and the prosecutions have failed to have an impact as the maximum punishment of the accused DD officials has been a brief spell of outside transfer or an attachment for eyewash.

Working on a detailed complaint, CBI carried out raids and seized records, including thousands of tapes, in some rooms of Doordarshan Kendra (DDK) Srinagar in 2009. A preliminary inquiry established large scale irregularities in acquisition of programmes from a group of private producers by Programme Officer of the station’s morning show ‘Subhai Subhai’, namely Ghulam Hassan Dar. Case FIR No: 02/A/2009/CBI/Sgr Dated 14-01-2009 was registered against then Director DDK Srinagar, Dr Rafeeq Masoodi, Programme Executive Ghulam Hassan Dar besides a group of the beneficiary private producers.

After completion of the initial process of investigation, raids were conducted on DDK Srinagar on 18-05-2009 and 10-06-2009. CBI sleuths collected substantial evidence of the criminal involvement of a number of DDK officials. It was established with material evidences that incharge Programme Officer Mr Dar had procured over 18,000 segments from particular private producers on written instructions of Dr Masoodi as Head of Programme and Director DDK Srinagar, issued on small paper slips. All these tapes were found to have been procured clandestinely without any notification or process of competition.

It was calculated that the segments would suffice for over four years. During the investigation, almost the entire group of private producers was dropped. Challan was finally filed in the court of Special Judge Anti-Corruption Srinagar on 17-07-2010 against Programme Officer, Ghulam Hassan Dar, retired Floor Manager Bashir Ahmad Mir and just one private producer, Shahid Shabir.

Even as payment of over Rs 20 Lakh was found to have been released and contracts for claims of Rs 14 Lakh were found lying in Accounts Section of DDK Srinagar, CBI’s Srinagar office concluded that HOP Dr Masoodi was involved but had not substantial criminal culpability. However, sources insist that Dr Masoodi’s name was removed after CBI’s Special Director in New Delhi did not agree to recommendation of prosecution. He proposed only ‘Departmental Action’ against the delinquent official.

Thereafter, ACB Srinagar recommended “Departmental Action” against the official and a communication went to Prasar Bharti’s Chief Vigilance Officer, Mahesh Bhat. Since the accused official enjoyed high political clout, no departmental or disciplinary action was initiated against him for about a year. On the contrary, Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, N N Vohra, presented the prestigious State Award to Dr Masoodi for being “outstanding mediaperson” in presence of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in April 2011. All media reports against this award going to a CBI-tainted DD official were ignored.

In the next two months, Dr Masoodi was finally shifted to DD headquarters but with the face-saving order of designating him as DDG Programme. His patrons in Mandi House and Prasar Bharti allowed him to retain his Srinagar posting for over two months. In this period, he is alleged to have approved hundreds of in-house programme proposals of known and unknown “Resource Persons”, thereby raising liability of Rs 52 Crore in 2009-11 period---over and above the station’s normal PPPS budget---without any authority, competence and availability of funds.

Dr Masoodi was finally placed under suspension in July 2012. He has reportedly challenged the departmental action against him in a Central Administrative Tribunal in Chandigarh.

While the CBI investigation in case FIR No: o2 of 2009 was still underway, it received substantial evidence of one Kousar Parveen having got scores of musical series approved, produced and telecast in a completely fraudulent manner. Consequently, after a preliminary verification, ACB Srinagar filed case FIR No: 04 of 2010 against Programme Officer (Programme Executive) Kousar Parveen and other officials of DDK Srinagar. Yet again, HOP and Director DDK Srinagar, who had approved almost all the fraudulently proposed and produced musical programmes, was kept off the hook.

During raids on the residence of Ms Kousar Parveen at Iqbal Colony, Sonwar, CBI seized material evidences, including tapes, documents and bank passbooks.

Raids on the house of private producer, Noor Mohammad Qazi, at Fair Bank Colony, Rawalpora, resulted in recovery and seizure of a heap of passbooks of the accounts of Yes Bank, J&K State Cooperative Bank and State Bank of India, branch Rajbagh. One of these accounts was found to have been opened in the name of Qazi’s brother, Qazi Zahoor. CBI learned during thorough investigation that Qazi Zahoor’s account had been opened and operated by Noor Mohammad Qazi and DDK Srinagar officials without his knowledge and involvement.

Rest of the accounts were found operating in the names of ‘Noor Mohammad Qazi’, ‘Noor Ahmad Qazi’, ‘Qazi Noor’ and ‘Nooruddin Qazi’, all by his brother. It was noticed that DDK Srinagar officials had fraudulently drawn payment of Rs 25 Lakh through the same fake accounts which had been opened with the help of a fake Ration Card. He was arrested and detained for 13 days till he got released on bail.

Surprisingly, neither the accused Programme Executive, Kousar Parveen, nor her husband, Rafeeq Ahmad Malik, who was a cameraman with DDK Srinagar, were arrested or detained.

Investigating Officer at ACB Srinagar, Inspector Deedar Singh, who is on deputation with CBI from CID Wing of J&K Police, completed the investigation and filed challan in the court of Special Judge Anti-Corruption Srinagar. Again Prasar Bharti or DD did not initiate any action against the accused Programme Executive. It was finally on a communication from CBI Srinagar that Mandi House shifted Kousar Parveen to DDK Chandigarh in accordance to the guidelines of Central Vigilance Commission. She is continuing her posting at Chandigarh.

Substantial payment of Kousar Parveen’s fraudulently operated in-house musical programmes has been drawn during Dr Masoodi’s tenure. However, claims to the tune of Rs 85,75,000 of her programmes are still lying in Accounts Section of DDK Srinagar. She has been neither attached nor placed under suspension. According to insiders, former CEO of Prasar Bharti, B S Lalli, who himself landed in a criminal case of CBI later, provided full support to Masoodi and his favourite officials at DDK Srinagar.

Previously, CBI had investigated and challaned a high profile case involving then Controller of Programmes at Kashir Channel (DD Kashir, Mandi House) T.K. Das, Programme Executive Mumtaz Beg and some Kashmiri private producers who had allegedly collected bribes from a large number of private producers in Srinagar and Jammu and allotted them commissioned programmes. Das and Beg were arrested and lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail. However, years later, CBI was defeated in the court.

Notwithstanding CBI’s highly credible investigation in the Pathribal fake encounter and alleged rape-cum-murder of two young women in Shopian, the agency has few takers to its current investigation in DDK Srinagar’s Rs 64 Crore in-house approvals and productions scandal which has Dr Rafeeq Masoodi and Mrs Shami Shair, incumbent Director of DDK Srinagar, Qayoom Wadera, and over a dozen others as the key actors. Among them all, only Masoodi is under suspension and all others, who are still in service, are continuing their postings.

[Concluded]

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Minister, I&B top brass in Srinagar

Early Times Report

SRINAGAR, Oct 4: Taking cognizance of malfunctioning and large scale corruption at Doordarshan Kendra Srinagar and DD’s Kashir Channel, entire top brass of the union Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Prasar Bharti Broadcasting Corporation of India, Doordarshan and All India Radio has arrived in Srinagar alongwith Parliament’s Consultative Committee on I&B.

Even as Chief Executive Officer, Prasar Bharti, Mr Jawahar Sircar, will be reaching here on Friday, over a dozen Members of Parliament, who form Consultative Committee on I&B reached here for three-day visit today. During their stay in Srinagar, MPs and officials of I&B, PB, DD and AIR would review functioning of different stations of DD and AIR besides others departments of I&B in J&K.

Those who arrived in today included Minister for I&B, Mrs. Ambika Soni, Secretary I&B, Udhay Kumar Verma, two Joint Secretaries of I&B, DG Doordarshan Tripurari Sharan, DG AIR, LD Mandloi, ADG Engineering AIR, DK Khanna, and other officials. The group of MPS witnessed the proceedings in J&K Legislative Assembly for about one hour.

Later, Mrs Soni took a meeting with a delegation of over 50 private producers, script writers, singers, drama artists and other talents working with DDK Srinagar and DD Kashir. Secretary I&B, DGs of DD and AIR besides the members of Consultative Committee were present in the high level meeting at Hotel Taj By Vivanta.

Sources said that the delegation explained irregularities and corrupt practices of DDK Srinagar officials, demanded their transfer and legal action, including a credible CBI investigation, into their omissions and commissions in the last few years. They presented a set of newspaper reports to the Minister and implored her to clear the mess at DDK Srinagar. They also demanded release of their payments. They pointed out that the lately removed Director had drawn payment of her 32 programmes but those of scores of private producers had been piled up and subjected to investigations.

They demanded thorough investigations into productions on flagship programmes of Government of India and complained that almost all the payees of these programmes were relatives of a couple of DD officials.

Sources said that Mrs. Ambika Soni would hold a high level meeting with subordinate officers over the agenda of “paid news” and DAVP functioning tomorrow. She would review functioning of DD, AIR, PIB, Song and Drama Division and Field Publicity wing. She is scheduled to return to New Delhi early in the morning on Saturday.

Sources said that in her absence, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, would now inaugurate AIR’s new 10 kw FM transmission and programme service at 1100 hours on Saturday. Rajya Sabha member and President of J&K Pradesh Congress Committee, Prof Saifuddin Soz, would also be present on the occasion.

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